Robots and landmines

Abstract

There is a widespread belief that the global land‐mine problem can be solved using a combination of advanced robotics, sophisticated sensors and powerful computing devices. Recent research results suggest that this confidence is misplaced. There is little likelihood of sensing improvements in the short‐term and all the proposed robotic solutions are too expensive to be practical for humanitarian demining operations in countries like Angola, Afghanistan and Cambodia. However, simple equipment improvements and low‐cost robotic devices might provide some useful improvements in safety and cost‐effectiveness in the short‐ to medium‐term. Reviews contributions in robotics and sensing technology, and proposes some practical directions for future work.